Jose Tembe
BBC News, Maputo

Image source, Mozambique Presidency

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi has said there are people pretending to be politicians in order to recruit young people into the ranks of militant jihadists.

The militants have been carrying out attacks in the north of the country since 2017.

Speaking at a military graduation ceremony, the president added that the government was aware of the phenomenon and those found to have been involved will be tried and sentenced.

“Those [people], when we capture them, their place is the jail," Mr Nyusi said.

He also highlighted that his army was making some advances against the militants in the north of the country, which have resulted in the arrest of some jihadists and their leaders, as well as the weapons they used.

Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba

Ceasefire monitors based in South Sudan, who are there to observe the implementation of the peace agreement, say they are sending delegates to investigate the ongoing deadly clashes in the northern oil-producing Upper Nile state.

Fighting has been going on in different areas of the state since mid-November – with reports of renewed clashes between the national army and the opposition forces in Maiwut area.

There have also been reports of renewed hostilities in Fashoda county between rival ethnic rival groups.

More than 9,100 people were forced from their homes following a recent surge in violence in the area, according to the UN's humanitarian office.

The ceasefire monitors have said they have received different reports about the situation affected by the conflict in Upper Nile.

Lt Gen Asrat Denero Amad, the Ethiopian who heads the monitoring team, said they will report back in the coming days.

Ameyu Etana
BBC Afaan Oromoo

Conflict between humans and animals inside a park in Ethiopia designated as an elephant sanctuary is continuing to claim the lives of both people and the elephants.

The Babile Elephant Sanctuary, 560km (350 miles) east of the capital Addis Ababa, covers 3,000 square kilometres (1,160 sq miles) of land.

Humans are not supposed to settle inside the park, but settlements are built as people are looking for land to farm on.

Sanctuary head Adam Mahammad said that in the past three months alone elephants have killed five people and three elephants have died.

Officials figures show in the past 15 months elephants have killed 13 people, and 15 elephants were killed.

The clashes have escalated due to the increasing demand for land inside the park.

Mr Adam told the BBC that he was concerned that the park's elephant population - which now number in the low hundreds - could disappear if present trends continue.

He estimates that around 3,000 people now live inside the park.

Last year satellite analysis by the University of Oxford and the Born Free Foundation revealed that the number of illegal houses built in the sanctuary more than doubled in the 11 years to 2017.

There are elephants in other parts of the country as well but poaching has endangered their existence.

Image source, Reuters

Somalia's president has made a plea to international partners that they should see the positive developments in the country rather than focusing on a story of a troubled insecure country.

Writing in Britain's Guardian newspaper, external, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says that "Somalia is not a single narrative of violence and state failure".

While he acknowledges the security challenges, he also highlights a recent international investment conference held the day after an attack on a hotel, to show there are people looking for business opportunities.

"We refuse to succumb to the terrorists’ intimidation tactics," the president writes.

He argues that while it still needs help in the security sector and also dealing with the drought, the country is turning the corner.

"Our situation today is one of hope, of finally overcoming the darkness of the past, which victimised and held down our entire society."

He also praises the Somali people for their resilience and ingenuity in the face of decades of political instability, where the country did not have a functioning government for a long time.

Read more on Somalia:

• Fighting al-Shabab: Rare access to Somalia's US-funded 'lightning' brigade
• Somalia drought: One boy's fight to save his family from starvation
• Hassan Sheikh Mohamud: Who is Somalia's new leader?

Roads in many parts of the South African city of Johannesburg have been flooded after heavy rains on Friday morning.

The City of Johannesburg said “severe road infrastructural damage” has been reported across the city “with the Roodepoort and Soweto area severely impacted by extreme weather conditions”.

It said its roads agency had been “inundated with calls” amid damage to key road infrastructure including bridges.

The city’s authority has listed some of the areas that people should avoid for their own safety until the flooding water subsides.

Local media report that train services were disrupted and there were power outages in some areas in the city in the aftermath of the storm.

South Africa batter Mignon du Preez announces her retirement from international cricket to concentrate on shorter domestic formats and to spend more time with her family.

Osian Roberts says Morocco's togetherness and belief reminds him of Wales at Euro 2016

Newport County boss Graham Coughlan is not ruling out an audacious attempt to sign striker Wilfried Bony.

Ishaq Khalid
BBC News, Abuja

Gunmen in the northern Nigerian state of Zamfara have abducted the entire family of a local state politician.

Residents say the kidnappers broke into the home of the lawmaker, Aminu Yusuf Ardo, in the town of Jangebe on Thursday night, seizing his wife and their four young children.

Mr Ardo, who is a representative in the Zamfara state house of assembly, was not at home at the time of the raid.

The attackers have also kidnapped at least eight other people - most of them the politician’s neighbours, according to residents.

A man whose father was among the hostages told the BBC they were in shock, adding that people were coming to sympathise with them.

He said the gunmen had not made any demands yet.

Zamfara state Information Commissioner Ibrahim Magaji Dosara has confirmed the attack but said they were still gathering details.

Jangebe is the town where gunmen abducted nearly 300 female students from a boarding school in February last year.

The schoolgirls were later released following negotiations with the kidnappers.

Zamfara is among several states in Nigeria where armed criminal gangs frequently carry out killings and kidnappings for ransom.

The Nigerian security forces have recently stepped up raids on the armed groups’ forest hideouts as the country prepares for elections due to take place in February.

Image source, Zambians in Moscow/Facebook

The body of Zambian student Lemekhani Nyirenda, who died fighting for Russia in Ukraine, is due to arrive back home on Sunday, Zambia's foreign minister has announced.

Stanley Kakubo told parliament that the body had now reached the Russian port city of Rostov-on-Don and a Zambian diplomat would accompany it back to Lusaka, the foreign ministry has tweeted, external.

The 23-year-old died in September but news of the death only came out last month. It left his family and the Zambian government pressing the Russian authorities for answers.

Nyirenda, who had been studying nuclear engineering in Moscow, was serving a drugs-related prison sentence in Russia.

His sister Muzang'alu Nyirenda said he had been an unwitting drugs courier.

The foreign minister told parliament on Friday that the Russian government confirmed Nyirenda was pardoned in August "to join a military operation in exchange for amnesty".

Mr Kakubo said he was still asking the Russians for more details about the death of the young Zambian.

Read more on this story:

• Ukraine war: Lemekhani Nyirenda's Zambian family demands answers from Russia

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, AFP

Nigeria's Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday gave state-owned National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and oil marketers 48 hours to end a shortage of fuel in the country.

The department's spokesperson Peter Afunanya said that the NNPC had given an assurance that the country had enough fuel ahead of the busy festive season.

However, Mr Afunanya warned that the DSS was prepared to intervene and stabilise fuel supply if oil marketers failed to comply with the 48-hour directive.

He also decried the fuel scarcity problem, saying it was a threat to national security.

Nigeria frequently reports shortages of fuel despite being a leading oil producer in Africa.

Image source, Getty Images

South Africa has said it would decriminalise sex work through a proposed amendment to be pushed by the justice minister.

The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Bill was approved by cabinet late last month.

It seeks to decriminalise the sale and purchase of adult sexual services, the ministry said. It was published on Friday for public comment and will then have to be passed by parliament.

"It is hoped that decriminalisation will minimise human rights violations against sex workers," Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said, external.

He added: "It would also mean better access to health care and reproductive health services for sex workers."

The AFP news agency quotes sex worker rights' group SWEAT as saying: "With sex workers no longer labelled as criminals, they can work much better with the police to tackle violence".

SWEAT welcomed the bill as "incredible news".

Laws prohibiting children from selling sex and trafficking for sexual purposes will remain in force.

After seven years being at the helm of a US late-night comedy programme South African comedian Trevor Noah has hosted his last episode of The Daily Show.

In an emotional farewell he gave what he called a "shout out to black women".

"Who do you think teaches me? Who do you think has shaped me, nourished me, informed me? From my mum, my gran, my aunt - all the black women in my life," he told the audience.

Noah was relatively unknown in the US when he took over the prestigious satirical programme from Jon Stewart, who had built up a huge following.

In his goodbye monologue, he references the fact that he first found it hard to fill the seats in the studio but over the last seven years, Noah himself has brought in a younger, enthusiastic audience.

He has also offered a more international take on events in the US. During his time as host he has covered the presidency of Donald Trump, the Black Lives Matter protests and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Noah said that it was black women who had taught him most about America as they know that if things go bad then they are the first to suffer.

When he announced his planned departure in September the 38-year-old said: "I remember when we first started... so many people didn't believe in us... [Appointing me as host] was a crazy bet to make. I still think it was a crazy choice, this random African.

"I just [find] myself filled with gratitude for the journey. It's been absolutely amazing. It's something that I never expected."

He got into many arguments over the years of hosting the programme, including one with the French government after he celebrated France's 2018 World Cup win as an African victory:

Emery Makumeno
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

Congolese gynaecologist Denis Mukwege is scheduled to meet Pope Francis on Friday at the Vatican, his foundation has said.

Denis Mukwege is known as "Dr Miracle" for his ability to repair through reconstructive surgery the damage inflicted on women who have been raped.

He was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for his work.

The Pope is scheduled to visit Democratic Republic of Congo in late January 2023, after a previously planned visit was cancelled mid this year.

Dr Mukwege met the Pope three years ago and later told journalists that: "I met with Pope Francis to share my vision for a world where rape is no longer used as a weapon of war.”

The exact agenda of today's meeting is not known.

Since 1996, the DR Congo has been engulfed in a string of conflicts that have claimed the lives of at least six million people.

Read more:

• Nobel Peace Prize winner: Denis Mukwege from DR Congo

Image source, Prasa Group

South Africa's passenger rail agency (Prasa) has banned preaching, gambling and informal trading in its new trains, local media outlets report.

The move is among measures meant to ensure that "one particular behavioural system of any other group cannot be imposed on other commuters on board", the agency's spokesperson Lilian Mofokeng is quoted as saying.

It will also enhance passenger safety and onboard cleanliness.

"We are doing this in an effort to ensure that there is the free passage of movement for our commuters, so that they are kept clean and safe," she said.

Informal traders and preachers have opposed the new measure.

Kenya's Pamela Jelimo calls it "painful" to receive a 2012 Olympic medal a decade after her 800m race in London.

Nkechi Ogbonna
West Africa Business Journalist, BBC News

Image source, Nigeria Presidency

Nigerian lawmakers have summoned the country’s central bank governor over the implementation of a recently introduced policy that restricts cash withdrawals.

The policy seeks to promote cashless transactions in Africa's biggest economy after it launched new banknotes.

Last week the bank limited weekly over-the-counter cash withdrawals at 100,000 naira ($225) and 500,000 naira ($1,125) for individuals and businesses respectively.

Withdrawals at ATMs were limited at 20,000 naira daily and 100,000 naira weekly.

The new policy takes effect from 9 January.

Parliament resolved to have the central bank governor, Godwin Emefiele, appear before it next Thursday and have asked for the new cash withdrawal policy to be suspended.

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The world's longest-serving head of state, the president of Equatorial Guinea, has been sworn in for a sixth term in office.

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who is 80, took the presidential oath before inspecting a military parade.

He declared he was - and always would be - the leader of all Equatorial Guineans.

He first seized power in a coup in 1979.

Critics say elections since then have been rigged, with the opposition largely prevented from taking part and the media controlled by the government and its allies.

Patience Atuhaire
BBC News, Kampala

Image source, AFP

The European Union has imposed sanctions on a number of people involved in the fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

They include a spokesman for the M23 rebel movement, Willy Ngoma. Mr Ngoma has not commented.

The M23 are blamed for causing instability and insecurity in the east of the country and carrying out human rights abuses, including sexual violence.

The UN has accused the group of killing more than 130 villagers last week. The M23 denied the claim, blaming "stray bullets" for just eight deaths.

Among those subject to an asset freeze and a travel ban is a senior member of the Congolese army.

It is reported that forces under his command carried out attacks against civilians, including rapes, between June and December last year.

Also appearing on the list is a Ugandan accused of being a top leader of the ADF militia group implicated in recruiting rebels, making guns and associating with the militant Islamic State group.

Eastern DR Congo is home to dozens of armed groups, many of which are battling for a share of the region's mineral wealth.

The EU has also sanctioned a Belgian-born businessman, Alain Goetz. He's accused of exploiting the instability to illicitly trade in natural resources.

But the Reuters news agency reports that Mr Goetz has pulled out of the company that was allegedly involved in the trade and has never dealt with gold from DR Congo.

Thomas Naadi
BBC News, Accra

Image source, AFP

Ghana’s Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta survived a vote of no confidence in parliament on Thursday after the opposition accused him of a conflict of interest and incompetence in managing the economy.

The West African country is battling its worst cost of living crisis that has seen inflation rise to 40%.

The finance minister has denied any wrongdoing, and has attributed the crisis to the combined impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In parliament on Thursday, only 136 opposition MPs voted for the motion of no confidence after the majority MPs staged a walkout ahead of the vote.

The constitutional threshold in a no-confidence vote of a two-thirds majority is 183 MPs.

Ghana is negotiating a $3bn (£2.4bn) bail-out plan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to stabilise the economy.

It has been asked to restructure its domestic debt as part of conditions to secure the bail-out, but investors have expressed some concerns.

More on Ghana's economic crisis:

• Entrepreneurs struggle as cedi plunges and inflations rises